An Exegesis of John 3:13-21

Exegesis Paper By: Andrew Higginson For: Dr. Kevin Anderson Course: BTH 320 Submitted: November 24, 2015 The book of John is one of the most influential gospels to modern day Christianity. This is apparent that this is true in seeing the amount of evangelistic preachers who go around preaching the word of God and telling people to read the gospel of John. Therefore, it should be apparent the study of the gospel of John is super important for any Christian to study. There is much the book of John has to offer in terms of theology and basic Christian teaching. One passage in which is quite often quoted from the gospel of John that has this rich theology is John 3:13-21. The purpose of this paper is to delve into this passage with emphasis on John 3:16, because it is often quoted in many different Christian circles. Authorship Before an actual in depth study can be held about a passage, there needs to be an understanding on who wrote the work, because the authorship of the work determines how much we value the words that the author is saying. There is no way that we can ever fully know who the author of such a work is, but most of our evidence points towards the apostle John writing the works. One of the biggest pieces of evidence when it comes to this is that Irenaeus cites that the Polycarp’s (Irenaeus mentor) teacher (the apostle John) wrote the fourth gospel Shea, Mark P. "Did John Write His Gospel?." The Rock 18 (November 2007). While the evidence tends to point towards the apostle of John being the author of the gospel, this is not the only person that is debated for the author of John. The one thing that we do know about the author of the gospel of John is that he was very familiar with Jewish locations because he mentions locations that would be known to a Jewish audience such as the Siloam Pool, the Sheep Gate Pool, and Jacob’s Well Biblical Archaeology Society Staff, . " Gospel of John Commentary: Who Wrote the Gospel of John and How Historical Is It?.". Dating Typically the gospel of John is dated to one of two different timings. The early date for the gospel of John is dated to 65 AD, which is a time put before the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, but later than the assumed writing of the synoptic gospels Davis, Craig. "The Gospel of John, the Letters of 1, 2 and 3 John, and Revelation.". The other date that the gospel of John is typically directed towards is somewhere around the dates of 90-100 AD. This is the primary date that is normally used for the dating of the gospel of John, because Clement of Alexandria said that the gospel of John was written to supplement the other gospels Theopedia, . "Gospel of John.". While we still don’t know when the gospel of John was written, we almost assuredly know that the gospel of John was written after the synoptic gospels. Even though the synoptic gospels have some different content as compared to the gospel of John, some modern scholars have even taken other Biblical texts to help support this idea. Barclay makes a comparison of the four gospels in relation to Revelation 4:7. Revelation 4:7 talks about the beast around the thrones and compares Mark to man (because he is the most straightforward), Matthew to lion (because of the emphasis on the messiah and the tribe of Judah), Luke to ox (because of the emphasis of service and sacrifice), and John is in contrast to an eagle (because he can look straight into the sun [son] and not be dazzled) Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956, page 1. Historical Context Typically the audience in which the gospel of John is written to is considered to be gentile in nature. If the later date is assumed, then we know for a fact that when the gospel was written the majority of Christianity was made up of Gentiles rather than Jews, so the gospel was written in order to help educate the gentiles rather than the Jews Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956 page 6-7. This is where some of the more gentile notions of theology that the book of John has comes from. For example, the concept of the logos was originally a gentile concept for reason and logic, and the gospel of John connected that concept with the gospel in John 1:1 Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956 page 7. This is one of the reasons why it heavily focuses on a theology totally different from the synoptic gospels. Another reason that the theology of the gospel of John is different is because John omits the content that the other gospels share. Many scholars reason that this difference in content is due to the dating of John dating past the writing of the other three gospels. The purpose of having a later date for the gospel of John is because having a later date allows the synoptic gospels to become widespread throughout the Middle East at that time. Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956 page 3. Another factor that affects the historical culture of the area is the reason that the gospel was written. The gospel of John was written at a time when second century Gnosticism was running rampant throughout the minds of gentiles. In this belief system, the Gnostics believed that all matter was evil, and because all matter is evil Jesus could not have been in flesh, but the messiah descended upon Jesus spoke through him and left at the time of death so that Christ could not be in flesh Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956 page 13. Structure The structure of the focused text lies within a couple different structures according to different scholars. F.F. Bruce places the passage of John 3:13-21 in the first part of his second main section of the gospel of John entitled Jesus reveals God in the World Bruce, F. F. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1983. Page 25. This structure however seems to be in contrast to what other scholars believe that the structure should look like when it comes to the gospel of John. Godet places the John 3 passage in the second cycle of the first section of the gospel of John entitled the Birth of Faith Godet, Frederick L. Commentary on John's Gospel. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publicatons, 1978. Page vi. While Godet is not the only scholar to put the John 3 passage in the first section in the book of John, other scholars tweak what Godet has done. Macgregor in his outline has decided that the proper place for John 3 still lies in the first section of the first major block in the gospel of John, which has been entitled the Relation From the New to the Old Macgregor, George H. The Gospel of John. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1928. Page 1. Greek text 13 καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου 14 καὶ καθὼς Μωϋσῆς ὕψωσεν τὸν ὄφιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ οὕτως ὑψωθῆναι δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου 15 ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐν αὐτῷ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον 16 οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον 17 οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον ἀλλ’ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι’ αὐτοῦ 18 ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ κρίνεται ὁ δὲ μὴ πιστεύων ἤδη κέκριται ὅτι μὴ πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ 19 αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις ὅτι τὸ φῶς ἐλήλυθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον καὶ ἠγάπησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς ἦν γὰρ αὐτῶν πονηρὰ τὰ ἔργα 20 πᾶς γὰρ ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων μισεῖ τὸ φῶς καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ 21 ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἵνα φανερωθῇ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα ὅτι ἐν θεῷ ἐστιν εἰργασμένα Brown, Robert K., and Philip W. Comfort. The New Greek to English Interlinear New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1990. English translation 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God Eight Translations New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.: Tenderly House, 1974.. Theology and Message Verse 13 In verse 13 we find the transition from the Lazarus passage to the passage that is target directly targeted towards the audience. In this verse, there are two things that can be noted. The first thing is that this verse helps us to answer the question of why do we trust Jesus as an authority Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956 page 133. We keep Jesus as an authority (among other reasons), because he has been admitted into Heaven already, and we have not yet. The second note on this passage has to deal with the sourcing of this verse. It is not stated above, but in some textual additions there is a phrase, which appears saying, ‘who is in heaven’. This addition does not appear in papyri 66 or papyri 75, which are the oldest manuscripts of John, but this phrase appears in many other texts, which could be reason enough to add the phrase into the text Bruce, F. F. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1983. Page 87. Verse 14-15 In the next set of verse, there is a passage that relates back to Moses. This passage is derived from Numbers 21: 4-9, where Moses uses the snake to point the Israelites to Yahweh. In the same fashion, Jesus is likened to the snake, because he points to God Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956 page 134. Verse 16 This verse is potentially the most important text in the entire gospel of John. Verse 16 is quoted so often, that it becomes a verse that many know by heart. This is most likely because verse 16 sums up the whole gospel of John in one verse Bruce, F. F. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1983. Page 89. At the core of this verse lies some truths of the gospel that can speak to all people of all generations. There is three things that this verse does for the readers understanding: (1) everything is backed by God’s love, (2) God is the basis for love, and (3) it shows the width of God’s love (for the whole world) Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956 page 137-8. This is precisely what the basis of the gospel of John is: God’s love. This verse shows that God’s love has been given to all, but it says nothing about the gift of life being given to everybody, mainly because the gift is given to his elect Macgregor, George H. The Gospel of John. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1928. Page 81. It is for this reason that those who do not get into Heaven, but also explains that God still loves them. Then the question arises if God so loves the world, why would he not choose the entire world to be his elect. F. F. Bruce answers this question by asking, If the Son of Man can so that those who believe in him would not perish, how can those who do not believe him not perish? Bruce, F. F. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1983. Page 90 This questions helps to answer questions that arise wondering why God does not simply save the whole world. Before the next verse is discussed there is one other thing that is of note for verse 16, which is who is speaking in verse 16. Verse 16 is a verse in where there is a transition from Jesus who was speaking to Lazarus prior to the author speaking to the audience in this verse Stibbe, Mark W. John. Sheffield Academic, Sheffield, England: JSOT, 1993. page 57. Verse 17-18 Verses 17-18 focuses on the results that happen to those who follow Christ. Macgregor states that the judgment that is talked about in the passage is not the reason that messiah comes, but rather a result of the messiahs coming Macgregor, George H. The Gospel of John. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1928. Page 82. The judgment that is predicted is based upon one thing: God’s nature. These two verse deal with the nature of God, which contrasts the next section (verse 19-21), which deals with the nature of humanity Stibbe, Mark W. John. Sheffield Academic, Sheffield, England: JSOT, 1993. Page 58. Verse 19-21 Verses 19-21 as stated above deal with the nature of humanity. There is definitely an emphasis on those who do not believe in Christ and their relationship (or rather lack there of) with the light. For those who do not believe in the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no alternative than that of destruction. As unfortunate as this is, this is a decision that these individuals make, and cannot be reversed by anyone but themselves Bruce, F. F. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1983. Page 91. Barclay states in perhaps the best way: “It is only the evil-doer who does not wish to see himself and who does not wish anyone else to see him. Such a man will inevitably hate Jesus Christ, for Christ will show him what he is and that is the last thing he wants to see. It is the concealing darkness that he loves and not the revealing light Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956 page 140.” It is this exact relationship between the light and those that do not exist in it that condemns these people. The light of Christ ends up doing one of two things to humans. The light can condemn us, which is not its intended purpose. It condemns those who do not want to show their darkness to the world. The light can also convict us, which is its intended purpose. The light is intended to shine in human lives to show where the darkness exists, and to burn it off of humanity. Intertextuality The Gospel of John has an interesting relationship with the other three primary gospels that we see on a regular basis. First of all, the gospel of John contains different material than the synoptic gospels do. The gospel contains less narrative content than the synoptic gospels do, but instead contain a lot more dialogues and monologues in relationship to Jesus Just, Felix S. "Literary Features of the Fourth Gospel”. This probably due to the fact as discussed earlier about the audience of the gospel of John already having the synoptic gospels to read before the gospel of John was written. Another difference that the gospels share is that the synoptic gospels tend to have a shorter range of dates for Jesus’s ministry, where John gives a longer range of dates that lasts between two to three years Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956 page 4. Scholars tend to agree that John has a more accurate dating of the ministry of Jesus than the other gospels tend to have. One similarity that all the gospels share is the themes of life and faith, which occur in all four gospels Stibbe, Mark W. John. Sheffield Academic, Sheffield, England: JSOT, 1993. Page 56. The similar themes that they do share help to connect all four of the gospels together, so we do have an understanding of who the actual historical Jesus was in his historical context. Literary genre The genre of the gospel of John tends to be poetic in nature, even though it is not a poem. One of the elements that the gospel of John possesses is the rhythmic language that it uses Just, Felix S. "Literary Features of the Fourth Gospel”. In many places starting with John 1:1, the language that is repeated is very smooth and flows together, like poetry would. Another element that John possess that makes it similar to poetry is the use of repeated words and phrases throughout the gospel Just, Felix S. "Literary Features of the Fourth Gospel”. This is evident in the John 3:13-21 passage that we just studied. Throughout these nine verses, the same vernacular is repeated over and over again, as if to emphasize certain ideas that the gospel discusses. One other element that exists in this gospel is the element of dualistic opposites. The example that exists above is the relationship between the words light and darkness and live and perish Just, Felix S. "Literary Features of the Fourth Gospel”. There is an apparent stark contrast between those who live in the light live, while those who live in the darkness perish. It is no surprise here that there is as many opposites that are existent between these two concepts. Analysis John 3:13-21 is an inherently soteriological passage. Then it is no wonder that if one wants to obtain access into heaven, that one must take this passage to heart. The tricky thing about this passage is how one is supposed to apply this to life, because the truth is so broad that it is hard to apply it to one’s individual life. The most basic truth of this passage is that God loves the world a lot Reference verse 16. This love is so great that he gave his only son that he would die to save all of humanity. The only passage that parallels this concept in the Bible is the passage in Genesis 22:1-19, where God tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham loved God so much that he was willing to sacrifice his only son for God’s sake. Human love is so important to God that he is willing to test it to see if we stick to him or not. For those people, who love God so much that they are willing to give up their children for his sake, God is willing to forgive sins and transgression. This leads to the children of God coming into the light and accepting their mistakes for what they are. At the end of time, God’s light will shine, and all of humanity will have the light shine into their lives. When that happens humanity will choose one of two options: they will choose to hide from the light or embrace the light Reference verses 20-21. The thing about this is that each individual person does not have the opportunity to choose at that moment whether they will exist in the light or not, because in that moment most of humanity would most assuredly choose the light. Individuals will exist in the light if and only if they have believed in the light and their actions dictate that they can exist in the light. It is this tension between the can (belief) and the want (deeds) that allows for those to exist in the light. If an individual possesses one of these, but does not the other than there is no hope for them to live in the light. James 2:14-26 is often quoted as faith without works is dead, this is a core truth of this passage, but likewise works without faith is worthless. If one commits a work that solves a short term or even a longer term problem but does not exhibit faith, then there is no point for that person to even commit that work, because even though they are doing good, there is no point for that good. In this regard, works and faith are equally important and directly related. Conclusion In conclusion, the John 3 section of the gospel of John is an important study that all Christians should study. The elements that exist in this study are all interrelated with everyday life. There are connections from the light of Christ to the understanding of second century Gnosticism. This passage shows us as many would say to the way, the truth, and the life that humanity is called to, but only few answer the call. If one is to understand the gospel call one must understand the gospel of John.  Works Cited Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956. Biblical Archaeology Society Staff, . " Gospel of John Commentary: Who Wrote the Gospel of John and How Historical Is It?." No pages. Cited 22 November 2015. Online: http://www.biblicalarchaeology .org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/gopel-of-john-commentary-who-wrote-the-gospel-of-john-and-how-historical-is-it/ Bruce, F. F. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1983. Brown, Robert K., and Philip W. Comfort. The New Greek to English Interlinear New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1990. Davis, Craig. "The Gospel of John, the Letters of 1, 2 and 3 John, and Revelation." No pages. Cited 22 November 2015. Online: http://www.datingthenewtestament .com/John.htm Eight Translations New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.: Tenderly House, 1974. Godet, Frederick L. Commentary on John's Gospel. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publicatons, 1978. Just, Felix S. "Literary Features of the Fourth Gospel." No pages. Cited 22 November 2015. Online: http://catholic-resources.org/John/Themes-LiteraryFeatures.htm Macgregor, George H. The Gospel of John. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1928. Shea, Mark P. "Did John Write His Gospel?." The Rock 18 (November 2007): -. Cited 22 November 2015. Online: http://www.catholic .com/magazine/articles/did-john-write-his-gospel Stibbe, Mark W. John. Sheffield Academic, Sheffield, England: JSOT, 1993. Theopedia, . "Gospel of John." No pages. Cited 22 November 2015. Online: http://www.theopedia.com/gospel-of-john 12 Higginson [Type text][Type text][Type text]